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EVENTS OF 1923
PfISSIN REVIEW
Happenings at Home and Abroad
During the Twelve Months
That Have Just Closed.
PRESIDENT HARDING'S DEATH
Futile Attempts to Settle German Rep
arations Problem—France Occu
pies the Ruhr—Turkey’s Diplo
matic Triumph—Terrible Earth
quake in Japan—American
Prosperity and Politics.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD
With the exception of Germany,
ruined by her own acts, and .Japan,
shattered by the forces of nature, all
the world was better off at the close
of 19U3 than at its beginning. This
is especially true of the United States,
Italy, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Tur
key. and probably Russia, though the
information coming from the land of
the soviets lias been so colored that
it was difficult to determine true con
ditions there.
Economic recovery of the world was
retarded, as it was during the previ
ous twelve months, by failure to
settle the matter of the German repa
rations and by the steady decline of
Germany toward the point of absolute
collapse. The occupation of the Ruhr
by France and the resulting disputes
with Great Britain brought on re
peated crises each of which seemed
to threaten Die ilnal disruption of the
entente cordiule.
Turkey gained power and prestige
through tlie Lausanne peace confer
ence and the resulting treaties with
the allies and with the United States.
Late in the year she added herself to
the list of republics with Mustapha
Kemal I’aslia as her first president.
Under the leadership of General
I'rliuo ltivera and other army officers
and aristocrats, there was a house
cleaning in Spain that resulted in the
turning out of the crowd of politicians
that had for years been battening on
the spoils of j.MSgovernment. The so
called , democratic government was
overthrown and a dictatorial council
substituted.
President Harding's death in San
Francisco threw all the United States
—and indeed all the civilized world —
into heartfelt mourning. Vice Presi
dent Calvin Coolidge, succeeding to
the chief magistracy, carried on in
general the policies of his predecessor.
Air. liarding had been considered the
certain nominee of the Republican
party in 1924, and his demise threw
©pen tiie lists and made the political
contest intensely Interesting.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
German reparations and complica
tions resulting from the failure to pay
them occupied much of the attention
of European diplomats. Early in Jan
uary the allied premiers held a futile
conference in Paris, and France pre
pared for separate action to collect
from Germany. About tlie same time
Secretary Hughes announced the Unit
ed States would not consider Rerlln’s
proposal for a four-power European
peace pact and also Informally ad
vised France not to occupy the Ruhr.
France, however, was determined, and
the reparations commission gave her
the opening by declaring Germany in
willful default in coal deliveries. Ger
many formally protesting and Great
Britain not approving, the French on
January 11 began the occupation of
the Ruhr, seizing its most Important
cities one after another. President
Harding expressed his disapproval by
recalling (lie American troops from
Germany. Chancellor Cuno, with the
support of the lelchstng, declared a
"moral war" of passive resistance and
ordered all state employees not to obfcy
the French. The mine owners and
later the Industrial magnates fell in
with this'program and for months the
French were balked In their efforts
to get any considerable revenue from
the region. They seized customs, bank
funds and railways, and arrested many
Industrial lenders and officials, but the
passive resistance was not broken un
til late in September. The occupa
tion was assisted actively by Relgium
and passively by Italy. Great Brit
ain, though she did not actually ham
per the French, gave them no help.
On May 2 Germany made anew
reparations offer of $7,500,000,000,
with many conditions, and it was im
mediately rejected by France. Eng
land also declared the offer Insufficient.
Berlin tlien asked anew reparations
conference on the total sum and of
fered annuities of 1,500,000,0UU gold
■larks. Great Britain invited France
■nd Italy to join her in a reply to
this, and submitted a draft of her
proposed answer, but this also fell
through. The British government
thereupon sent a note to France and
Belgium declaring the Ruhr oceupa
tion illegal and a failure, insisting
on an impartial reparations inquiry
after the plan suggested by Secretary
of State Hughes, and saying France
must pay enough of the money lent
her to enable Great Britain to pay
America. Again no results, Premier
Poincare declaring Germany must set
tle the reparations question before
an economic accord could be reached.
Chancellor Stresemann, who had suc
ceeded Dr. Cuno, announced the aban
donment of passive resistance and
said no more reparations would be
paid and the treaty of Versailles would
he repudiated. He also put an end
to the aid which the government had
been giving the inhabitants of tbe oc
cupied regions. Soon after this tbe
industrial magnates of the Ruhr and
Rhineland signed a pact with the
French for the resumption of work
and of payments of material.
In December the reparations com
mission decided to appoint two com
mittees of experts, one to examine
German money In foreign lands and
the other to try to devise means by
which Germany might balance her
budget and stabilize her finances.
Poincare now seemed in a yielding
mood and President Coolidge an
nounced he approved ' of unofficial
American participation through the
selection of Americans’ as members
of those committees.
Turkey’s diplomatic victory at Lau
sanne was not easily won. While the
conference there was deadlocked in
January Alustapha Ivenial mpbilized
armies to move against Constanti
nople, Mosul and other points and
called three classes to the colors to
combat the Greeks In Thrace. The
quarreling in the peace conference
was incessant. On January 31 the
allies submitted a treaty to the Turks,
demanding its acceptance within four
days. The Turks agreed to sign it if
the economic clauses were reserved
for future settlement. Lord Curzon
departed in a rage, and on February
0 tbe conference broke up. Diplomatic
conversations continued, however; the
British indicated they would make
concessions, and the conference was
resumed on April 23, Russia being ex
cluded. On July 24 a treaty was
signed which gave to Turkey nearly
all she had demanded, the question of
oil concessions being left for later
consideration. A few days later the
United States and Turkey signed
treaties of amity and commerce and
on extradition. By October 2 the al
lied military forces had evacuated
Constantinople.
Warfare between Italy and Greece
in the autumn was narrowly averted.
An Italian military commissioner and
ids aids were murdered in Albania
and on August 28 Italy demanded that
Greece apologize abjectly and pay
reparations. The Greek reply being
unsatisfactory, the Italians promptly
bombarded and occupied the island of
Corfu. Greece appealed to the League
of Nations, which was disposed to
take up the affair; but Premier Mus
solini declared Italy would withdraw
from the league and ignore its deci
sion if it insisted on arbitrating the
dispute. The situation was most em
barrassing for the leagvie, but the
allied council of ambassadors rescued
it by assuming jurisdiction and order
ing Greece to comply with Italy’s de
mands almost in their entirety. Greece
gave in, apologized and paid 50,000,000
lire indemnity, and on September 27
Italy evacuated Corfu.
Mussolini achieved another triumph
by an agreement with Jugo-Slavia
whereby Italy obtained possession of
Flume.
In January American and British
commissions met in Washington to ne
gotiate the refunding of the British
war debt to America, and their task
was soon completed to the apparent
satisfaction of both nations. The
Washington treaties on reduction of
armament and concerning the Pacific
were ratified by Italy in February and
by France in July. Through the ef
forts of an American commission sent
to Mexico, the government of our
neighbor was finally brought to ami
cable terms and the long-withheld rec
ognition was accorded by Washington
on August 31.
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS
Overshadowing all other events in
the United States was the death of
President Warren G. Harding. He
had long planned a trip through the
Middle and Far West and to Alaska
in order to talk with the people and
get their reactions. Though tired out
and far from well, he started on June
20, accompanied by Mrs. Harding and
several members of his cabinet. After
delivering several important addresses,
notably one advocating American mem
bership in the World court, he sailed
to Alaska. Returning thence to San
Francisco, he fell ill there on July 28.
Four days later, on August 2, he
passed away. The taking of his body
back to Washington, the services
there, the trip to Marion, Ohio, and
the Interment there of the little town's
distinguished citizen on August 10
gave the people of the country ample
opportunity to show In what hi git
esteem and affection they held Mr.
Harding. Literally the entire nation
mourned sincerely, and all the other
THE DANIELSVILLE MONITOR, DANIELSVILLE, GEORGIA.
nations gave expression to their grief.
Vice President Calvin Coolidge took
the oath of office’ as President at his
father’s home in Plymouth, Vt., and
assumed his new duties at once, re
taining the entire Harding cabinet and
announcing that he would carry out
the Harding policies where possible.
It had been taken for granted that
the Republican party would nominate
Mr. Harding in 1924, and Mr. Cool
idge immediately became a probable
nominee. However, before the year
dosed other candidates came forward,
notably Senator Hiram Johnson of
California, Governor I’lnchot of Penn
sylvania and Senator LaFollette of
Wisconsin. For the Democratic nomi
nation there were several probabili
ties, including Senator Underwood and
William G. McAdoo, avowed candi
dates, and Senator Ralston of Indiana,
Gov. A1 Smith of New York and Gov
ernor Silzer of New Jersey. There
was much talk of the possible nomi
nation of Henry Ford by one of the
old parties or by a third party, and
Ids admirers were exceedingly active.
The Republican national committee,
acceding to the • wishes of the Presi
dent, selected Cleveland as the place
for the national convention of 1924,
and set June 10 as the date for its
opening. Previous action by which the
representation of the southern states
was reduced was rescinded by the
committee.
Secretary of the Interior Fall retired
from President Harding’s cabinet on
March 4 and was succeeded by Hubert
Work, the latter’s place as postmaster
general being tilled by the appoint
ment of Harry S. New. Attorney Gen
eral Daugherty, against whom im
peachment charges had been made the
previous year, was .fully exonerated
by the house judiciary committee, the
report being adopted by the house on
January 25. Among the appointments
made by President Harding were Rob
ert Woods Bliss as minister to Swe
den; Miles Poindexter as ambassador
to Peru; It. M. Tobin as minister to
tbe Netherlands; E. T. Sanborn as as
sociate justice of the Supreme court
of the United States, and Gen. Frank
T. Hines as director of the veterans’
bureau. The latter appointment was
followed by charges of mismanage
ment, waste, etc., against tlie former
director, Colonel Forbes; which were
investigated by a senate committee.
Having passed the agricultural cred
its bill and many acts of lesser im
portance, and killing the ship-subsidy
bill, the Sixty-seventh congress came
to an end on March 4. The Sixty
eighth congress met on December 3
and the Republican majority was so
slender that a bloc of so-called pro
gressives held the balance of power.
Speaker Gillett was re-elected and
President Coolidge then delivered his
lirst message, in which he declared
himself in favor of Americun member
ship in the World court, advocated re
duction of taxes and opposed the sol
diers’ bonus.
Two governors got Into Serious
trouble. Walton of Oklahoma, who
said he was fighting the Ku Klux
Klan, came into conflict with the state
legislature and ussumed virtually dic
tatorial powers. Despite his efforts to
prevent it, the legislature met in spe
cial session, the house Impeached him
on numerous charges and the senate,
sitting as a trial court, found him
guilty and removed him from his of
fice. Walton was then indicted by a
grand jury. The other state executive
in trouble was Gov. W. T. McCray of
Indiana, who got Into deep financial en
tanglements and also was indicted.
President Coolidge had the appoint
ment of one ambassador last year.
Col. George Harvey resigned his post
at the court of St. James on October
4 and Frank B. Kellogg was selected
for the place.
Immediately after Its summer vaca
tion the Supreme court rendered an
important decision upholding the laws
of the Pacific coast states which pro
hibit aliens from owning land. These
laws, of course, are directed against
the Japanese especially.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Germany's internal troubles, politi
cal, economic and financial, were in
extricably tangled up with her inter
national woes and brought her to so
low a state that her regeneration
seemed at times almost hopeless. Roy
alists, separatists and communists con
spired, revolted and rioted. Unem
ployment increased and in the cities
all but the industrial magnates and
the profiteers were reduced to near
starvation, although the crops were
large and the rural districts were over
running with food stuffs. The govern
ment tried to meet the situation by
keeping up the flood of paper marks
and of course the mark declined until
billions could be had for one dollar
and those who hud anything to sell
refused to accept the practically
worthless currency. In August Chan
cellor Cuno presented a "rescue plan"
to the reichstug. It was rejected nnd
Cuno resigned, Gustave Stresemann
succeeding him and forming the first
coalition majority government in Ger
many's history, lie undertook to re
form the finances bv the issue of n
new currency, the renten mark, backed
by the country’s resources. This vyas
far from successful.
Throughout the year the royalists
or nationalists of Germany were ex
ceedingly active, those of Bavaria usu
ally taking the lead. In September
the Bavarians actually revolted against
the Berlin government and made Gus
tave von Kahr dictator of the state.
The relchstag thereupon gave Strese
mann dictatorial powers. A little later
the socialist governments of Saxony
and Thuringia refused to obey the
chancellor, and he subdued them by
a show of military force. He yielded
to Bavaria’s demand for greater au
tonomy, but this was not enough. On
November 8 Hitler, leader of the Ba
varian Fascist!, and General von Lu
dendorff attempted a royalist coup
d’etat in Munich and other cities and
threatened to march on Berlin. This
revolt was rather easily put down
by the national police and the workers
and Hitler and Ludendorff were ar
rested. On November 10 Frederick
William, the former crown prince, sud
denly returned to Germany from Hol
land. •
In October the separatists of the
Rhineland got into, action and set up
a republic which was looked upon with
favor by Fiance. „ However, it was
not, able to maintain itself very suc
cessfully, and there was almost con
tinuous fighting with the national
forces. Another separatist movement
was started in the Bavarian palatinate,
but it failed for the tlme.being. .
Late In November Chancellor. Strese
mann’s coalition went to pieces and,
being denied a vote of confidence in
the reichstag, he resigned. Dr. Hein
rich Albert, unpleasantly remembered
in America, and Adam Stegerwald both
failed to form acceptable ministries,
and so Dr. Wilhelm Marx, leader of
the Catholic party, was made chancel
lor on November 29 and got together
a cabinet that included Stresemann as
foreign minister and that was expect
ed to carry on his policies.
The revolution in Spain, which was
connected with the unsatisfactory war
with the Moors, took place in Septem
ber. The revolt, led by General
Primo Rivera, Marquis de Estella, was
against the cabinet and corrupt poli
ticians and also was an expression
of reaction against tbe growth of so
cialism and syndicalism among the
workers. The king supported it and
the cabinet resigned on September 14.
A military directorate was established
and Rivera was made sole chief of
the administration. The new govern
ment made itself popular at once by
a campaign on profiteering and gam
bling, by cutting expenses to the bone
and by other drastic measures of re
form. Trial by jury was suspended
because of the corruption of the courts.
Altogether, it was a happy revolution
for Spain.
Bulgaria also had a revolution, al
most bloodless, when Stamboulisky’s
peasant government was overthrown
on June 9 and the premier himself was
captured and killed. Professor Zank
off was made head of the new govern
ment. In September the Communists
and peasants resorted to arms in an
attempt to regain power, but they
were soon suppressed.
Andrew Bonar Law, prime minister
of Great Britain, resigned on May 20
because of the illness that caused his
deatli in October. He was succeeded
by Stanley Baldwin, who had been
chancellor of the exchequer. On Oc
tober 1 an imperial conference and an
economic conference of the British em
pire opened in London, and various
Important measures were debated and
adopted designed to bind the compo
nent parts of the empire by closer
commercial ties, at the same time leav
ing them their full measure of self
government. These questions brought
to the fore the old question of free
trade or protection, and since the gov
ernment had promised there should
be no change in the tariff policy during
the life of the existing parliament,
Prime Minister Baldwin dissolved par
liament on November 16 and an elec
tion was called for December 6. For
mer Premier Lloyd George, who had
been on a speaking tour of the United
States, arrived home just In time to
make up his old quarrel with the other
wing of the liberal party, and went
into the campaign with vigor. When
the votes were counted it was found
that while the Liberals and Laborites
both had won many seats from the
Conservatives, no one of the three
parties had a majority. The Laborites,
however, announced that tlieir leader,
Ramsay MacDonald, would undertake
to form a government as soon as called
upon, whereupon Prime Minister Bald
win declared he and his cabinet would
retain office at least until the new
parliament had met in January.
During the early months of the year
the Irish republicans continued their
guerrilla warfare on the Free State,
but on April 10, tlieir chief of staff,
Liam Lynch, was killed in a fight and
on April 27 Eamon de Valera ordered
his followers to cease hostilities and
negotiate peace. The Dublin govern
ment refused to treat with him and
on August 15 he was placed under ar
rest.
Manuel Talxeira Gomes was elected
president of Portugal in August and
was inaugurated on October 5. His
first task was the suppression of a
revolt in the northern part of the
• ■•luntry. Poland was threatened by
Lithuania over the possession of
Memel, but the League
tervened,. The Polish eabin^ 0 ® 8 *■
on May 27 and Witos beca m l
Premier Bratlano 0 f 2 Preaier '
forced out of office in adT* * as
was Premier Brantin- o fV' ? nd 80
In Russia, as the soviet
uaiiy modified their CoramS,™
cies, there seemed to be st 12
ress toward stability. Most 1 Pro? ’
tions still wi thheld‘recognition e , r “ a-
Moscow government, but a „ D f th(
them made commercial
with the soviet regime. The l,?*
supreme court condemned Arch 2 ft
Zepliak and Vicar General ?
vich of the Roman Catholic C h h
death for revolutionary activities
latter was executed, but Zepliak's s !
tence was commuted to ten years'u
prisonment. J ars
Early in December another revoto.
tion was attempted in Mexico, the
leader being Adolfo de la Huerta wh
was offended because President Obre
gon would not support his candidacy
for the presidency. The revolt spread
rapidly, but before the month closed
Obregon seemed to have the sltua.
tion well In hand.
INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR
. Only one really big strike marred
the record of the year in the United
States, and that did not last long, The
miners in the anthracite fields and
their employers tried in vain to fix a
• new wage scale and working condi
tions, and on August 21 they broke off
negotiations. With the approval of
President Coolidge, Governor Pinchot
of Pennsylvania ' undertook to handle
the problem, and proposed a compro
mise on August 29. The strike hegiffi
officially two days later, but the nego
tiations were continued. Pinchot’s
plan was accepted September 8 and
the miners resumed work on Septem
ber 20.
At various times during the year the
railway labor board adjusted the
wages of certain classes of rail work
ers, usually raising them. Some of
the roads made separate agreements
with their employees, giving them in
creased pay. April 9 the steel indus
try raised the wages of common labor
11 per cent and adjusted the pay of
other classes, and on April 13 the Chi
cago packing house employees and
building trade workers were given an
increase. The steel makers had been
attacked bitterly for maintaining the
twelve-hour day, and on August 2 El
bert H. Gary of the U. S. Steel corpo
ration announced its elimination,
The American Federation ot Labor
met in annual convention in Portland,
Ore., and, among other acts, voted
against the formation of a political
labor party and also against the rec
ognition of the Russian Soviet govern
ment. The advocates of these meas
ures and indeed all the more radical
factions in the federation were routed
by President Gompers, who was re
elected.
DISASTERS
Unequaled in modern times was the
disaster that befell Japan on
ber 1 when violent earthquake shooKi
and resultant fires destroyed 0 ®"
haraa entirely and about two-th r s
Tokyo and ruined many smaller tow
The number of killed was estimated
at 225,000, and the Injured at m ■
than half that number. Though ni< J
of the houses were flimsy, the r k
erty loss was enormous. 1116
dreds of thousands of refugees
fered severely, but the America S
eminent and the American °
were swift with relief measures
other nations joined in of
Among other serious ands
the year were: January 3, • g{
sons killed by collapse of a-britt
Kelso, Wash.; nne
plosion at Dawson killed : ’ FetK
at Cumberland, B. C.. killed **
ruary 18, twenty-two
three attendants werekiile u
asylum fire on Ward’s Island,
York; March 10, Greek wa ves
with 150 soldiers; April 0. t
in Corea and Japan killed ■
14, Hot Springs, Ark. P* •
stroyed by flood and
seventy-three killed m . j u ne
schoolhouse at Cievelan •, > • ’okla
-10, disastrous floods m ■ ' ’
homa and Colorado; •’in ’ earth
sands of Persians killed byj>
quakes; June 18, Ktna ; An
stroyed by eruption o *‘y Kem .
g „„ U. coal mte tt
merer, Wyo., killed ’ _ ; hv tvp hoon;
Hongkong badly damage.- Ar .
August 22, mil Hon-d 0 1 ‘ ffiber g,
kansas valley, Coiorau , Cau
nine U. S. destroyers reckea
fornla coast, 23 lives being i
teniber 15, typhoon an ; , ar?e
5,000 in Japan; Septe* destroyed W
part of Berkeley, a.. ki 'ned i°
flames; September ~ • • locW 11,
Burlington train ''^'';. irthqua ke
Wyo.; November 13. \. q]ed i;*:
Shansi province, Chin . bT burst"
December 1. nearlyoOO ){aly: [w
ing of darn near Berg-'- fflar;V is
cember 9, nine klll . ed T .“ , nt jetl> Ce *
jured in wreck of the ' y pert* 3
tury train at Forsj t* e> * 51
her 15, destructive e*
Colombia and Ecuador. t
C®. lilt. W**tem K vrßP ‘' "